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Martin McCourt      

Former CEO of Dyson, Sales and Marketing Expert

Martin McCourt has spent over 40 years working at the heart of British-based manufacturing, design and marketing for quality brands such as Dyson, Mars, Duracell, Toshiba and Pelikan.

Martin was the CEO of Dyson for 15 years, the ideas to market-leading consumer products maker. As CEO, he devised and implemented a strategy that transformed the company from a single product, single market producer into one where 80% of the business came from over 60 markets around the world. In that time he increased UK skilled jobs, grew profits to over £300m and enabled James Dyson to keep on inventing. In 2011 Dyson hit £1 bn revenue for the first time. Martin was directly responsible for the establishment of Dyson subsidiaries in the USA, Japan, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. In total he took Dyson into over 60 markets, achieving market leadership in the majority including the USA.

Martin’s previous experience was in sales and marketing with successful global companies Mars, Duracell, Toshiba and Pelikan.

In 2010 Martin was named UK Business Leader of the Year.

Speech Topics


Modern Day Disruptors

How smart companies are stealing a march on their rivals by engaging with millennial consumers using platform communication and social media. The importance of keeping pace with changing consumer attitudes and values, thinking outside the box

Think Big and Stay Small

How hard we need to work to retain our identity. Being David and the advantages over Goliath. How to make sure that scaling up does not bring about a loss of identity.

Confronting Failure

The Dyson washing machine was not a commercial success. Airblade, Air Multiplier and Vacuum cleaners were. Importance of how we react when it goes wrong...

More Bumps in the Road

Entertaining incidents that resulted in competitors helping Dyson to market leadership in the USA in under two years from launch.

Testing

Combining human abuse testing with powerful engineering data systems.

Made In Britain?

...or create in Britain? the role that invention and entrepreneurship plays in fuelling economic growth.

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Big Changes

Transferring all manufacturing, UK based, to SEA. The role that technology played in supporting an effective transfer. Doing the right thing even if it is the hardest thing (widespread criticism at Dyson decision).

Vertical Growth

Enjoying the journey, deliberate disruption and the consequences. Being ready to meet adversity and to turn it into opportunity. Making your business look good, often at the expense of others. Helping competition score own goals.

Iterative Development

How Dyson aped the age old principles of engineering and product development, employing fundamental techniques such as cardboard modelling combined with cutting edge CGI.

Ideas

Have the right people, tap into their thinking and instincts, encourage and liberate their idea flow. What we do that achieves this and what we do that can stifle creativity.

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